John Scarffe, Black Hawk. The Black Hawk City Council approved zoning and address changes during a regular meeting on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, at 3 p.m. The Board also denied a height variance request and approved several action items.

Vincent Harris with Baseline introduced an ordinance rezoning city-owned property to the History Appreciation Recreation Destination (HARD) district and the Public Facilities (pf) district. Continued from august 26, 2020, the ordinance would rezone 15 properties owned by the City of Black Hawk, all within the city limits, from either the Core Gaming, Transitional Gaming, Millsite Gaming, Environmental Character Preservation, Commercial Business Services, or the Historic Residential zone districts, to the HARD zone district for lands identified as Property 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10; and to the Public Facilities (PF) zone district for lands identified as Property 11, 12, 13, 14. 

The City of Black Hawk has made an application to rezone multiple properties within the City limits, according to background. The rezoning of each property is intended to designate them as zoning districts that are more appropriate to each of their uses. 

Harris told the Board the project was city initiated for 15 properties the City owns. The proposal comes in two parts with Part A, the 10 properties to be rezoned into the HARD district. Properties include First street along Cooper Street, just off Gregory street, along Chase Street, Millsites one through nine and Number 10 along High Street to the South.

Part B will be the Public Facilities Zone district including property across from fire department and east of Highway 119 and adjacent to Chase Street. All 15 properties meet the criteria, and staff recommended approval. The Board approved both Part A and B of the rezoning.

When the City started with new construction and relocation of properties on Gregory Street, the City worked with Baseline to find addresses that needed adjustment, so staff recommended a motion to approve a resolution updating addresses along State Highway 119, Chase Street, Gregory Street, and Miners Mesa Road. 

With the current improvements occurring on Gregory Street, addresses will be needed for new buildings relocated or constructed. “Along with this effort to add new addresses on Gregory Street, the City would like to also take this opportunity to make some corrections, additions and clarifications to addresses along State Highway 119, Chase Street, and Miners Mesa Road as well. These changes will assist emergency personnel as well as the general public in locating these properties more easily,” according to background. 

People have been confused regarding the differentiation between Clear Creek Street and Highway 119. In some cases, Highway 119 has also been designated as Clear Creek Street, and in addition to that, several existing residential properties are addressed on Clear Creek Street.

These residential properties do not have frontage on Highway 119. To differentiate the Highway 119 commercial properties from the Clear Creek Street residential properties, two changes are proposed. 

First, the commercial property addresses along Highway 119 will be addressed to match the existing County four-digit numerical addressing system. They will change from the existing addresses numbered between 100 and 900 to the proposed addresses numbered between 7000 and 8000. 

Second, the name of Highway 119 will also include the name Clear Creek Boulevard. This allows properties on Highway 119 to keep the historic “Clear Creek” reference in their addresses while also differentiating them from Clear Creek Street, according to background. 

The use of “Boulevard” will elevate the Highway as a wider and busier thoroughfare than the residential “Street.” “No changes to the addresses of the residential properties on Clear Creek Street are proposed.” 

Highway 119 will now be referred to as Clear Creek Boulevard starting at the intersection at Black Hawk Street heading north and west to the City limits. Proposed changes to Chase Street addresses include a few additions and clarifications. 

Proposed changes to Gregory Street addresses include the addition of a number of addresses needed in relation to the Gregory Street Plaza project currently under construction. In addition, a few corrections to addresses will fix some older out of order addressing. 

The proposed changes to Miners Mesa Road addresses include the confirmation of a number of existing addresses and the change of two addresses from their existing Transportation Avenue address to a Miners Mesa Road address. 

The Council approved the resolution and directed the City Clerk to provide notice of the address changes to the Gilpin County Assessor’s Office, provide notice of the address changes to all impacted privately owned properties and all tenants of impacted City-owned properties and provide notice of the address changes to the United States Post Office located in Black Hawk. The address changes will be effective January 1, 2021.

The Council denied a height variance, which would allow a 103-foot-height structure, but allowed a variance to 55 feet in height. Continued from June 10, 2020, the proposed resolution would conditionally approve a certificate of architectural compatibility and a site development plan for the T Mobile Facility at 821 Miners Mesa Road. 

The City of Black Hawk has received an application from Chris Stryker, a representative from Vertical Bridge Development LLC, requesting the construction of a multi-user telecommunication facility, according to background. The construction will consist of installing a tower and required radio/electrical equipment at the base. 

“The proposed facility will be fenced and the tower will be designed as a faux water tower. The application was heard at the June 10, 2020, City Council meeting and was continued on the July 22, 2020, and August 26, 2020, agendas to allow reasonable time for the applicant to prepare and review additional exhibits for City Council review and decision,” according to background.

Vincent Harris told the Council that T-Mobile got approval for a license agreement for utilizing city owned property. The Council needed to consider a resolution for a height variance, a resolution for a site development plan, and certificate of architectural compatibility for the construction of a stealth CMRS telecommunications tower at 821 Miners Mesa Road.

Staff recommended proposing a height variance of 10 feet to allow a 55-foot-tall Stealth/Faux CMRS tower structure for the T Mobile Facility. The tower will occupy a 50 x 55-foot parcel and will have a shelter and the tower enclosed with fencing. 

The tower will look like a barrel at the top. A 55-foot tower will allow three users. Regulations allow 45 feet, so staff is recommending 55 feet, a 10-foot variance. The Council approved the 55-foot-variance and the site development plan for the tower.

The Council also approved an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between Gilpin County, the City of Black Hawk and the City of Central regarding Lake Gulch Road. City Attorney Corey Hoffmann said that as a result of a term sheet entered into with Gilpin County to maintain the Gulch Road, Central City wanted to take over maintenance of Lake Gulch Road, so this morphed into a three-part agreement. Central City gets its portion of Lake Gulch Road and sets forth maintenance of Lake Gulch Road.

 Gilpin County approved this and received, and he received the agreement this afternoon. Black Hawk’s goal is to get this done, and he recommended approval subject to final approval from the city manager. The Council approved the IGA.

The Council approved an adjusted fee schedule. Cynthia Linker, community development and planning director, said they have cleaned up language in the building fee and land use sections. Due to reduced staffing, they have asked help from a conveyance company and will be adding a fee. It is simple housekeeping to represent fees for building and land use.

The Council approved a resolution to the Design-Build Contract executed on April 8, 2020, between the City of Black Hawk and Roche Constructors, Inc., establishing the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) of $269,600 for Construction of the Police Station 2nd Level Renovation Project D.

The next meeting of the Black Hawk Council will be on October 14, 2020. Go to https://site.cityofblackhawk.org/.

(Originally published in the October 1, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)